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Here is my letter to Oprah, thanks to Dolores. Won't you join me in getting the truth out? Ray April 9, 2009 The Oprah Winfrey Show 110 N. Carpenter Street Chicago, Illinois 60606 RE: EMBRYONIC STEM CELL RESEARCH NOT A DEAD ISSUE There are two big lies on the web and in the media right now: embryonic stem cell research is no longer necessary because adult stem cell research is superior and eliminates the need for ESCR which is immoral because it murders babies. We in the Parkinson's community know there are no adult stem cell treatments for our disease, yet for the past five years three claims for Parkinson's were among the 70 to 80 "cures" from ASCs claimed by The Family Research Council. 1. In February 2009 Dr. Michael Levesque's adult stem cell treatment of Dennis Turner's Parkinson's disease was published in the Open Stem Cell Journal as "successful" even though his touted "reprieve" ended 5 years ago with the return of his symptoms. I confirmed this fact on 3-24-06 and recently on 2-18-09 by telephoning Turner. Before this journal publication Turner was the FRC's poster boy for adult stem cell cures even though his PD had returned. It should be noted that while undergoing treatment, Turner was on Parkinson's medications and the original brain surgery was done concurrent with a DBS (deep brain stimulation) surgery. (Refer to documentation in the Open Stem Cell article.) Both these factors make ASCs as the causative agent of diminished symptoms questionable. 2. Patricia Payne was also listed as a Parkinson adult stem cell cure on the Prentice FRC list even though she was only going to be in Levesque's Phase II. Phase II never took place. I have emailed Dr. Levesque several times to determine the reason and have gotten different answers. Phase II still has not happened. 3. Amgen's aborted GDNF infusion therapy trial for Parkinson's patients was the third cure claim, even though it did not have anything to do with stem cells of any kind. Although the Prentice cures list is cited many times with different numbers of cures, three scientists determined that only nine of the 70 to 80 were valid. I happen to have personal detailed knowledge of the Parkinson's "success" stories so I'll just stick with them. The second lie is support for the current movement in certain state legislatures to bestow 14th amendment "personhood" rights on blastocysts. A "personhood" law failed in Colorado, as did a court case for Mary Scott Doe in California. Georgia, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Arizona, Florida, North Dakota and Montana either ban ESCR or are trying to by claiming a blastocyst is a person. Blastocysts are microscopic undifferentiated cells in a petri dish or lab freezer that will never be anything unless they are successfully implanted in a human uterus. But many people believe they are tiny kids or babies. They need to see what they are calling a "person" before they ban this important research. President Obama's rescinding of the Bush ban on federal funding and restrictions on ESCR has reinvigorated the opponents of embryonic stem cell research to work to ban it. I fear they will succeed if these major lies go unchallenged. That is why I am asking you to help me get this information out to the public. There are no successful adult stem cell treatments for Parkinson's disease. We would all oppose the killing of babies, but a cell is not a fetus or a baby or a person. Sincerely, Rayilyn Brown Director AZNPF Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundatioon [log in to unmask] Rayilyn Brown Director AZNPF Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation [log in to unmask] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn